Elastic wheel



Feb. 28, 1928. 1,660,845

H. MAMESSIER ELASTIC WHEEL Filed Aug. 14. 1923' s Sheets-Sheet 1 F/i/ 4 F162 INVENTOR AITORNE Y6.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 v z ///r/// I/v VENTOR Armin/Ens ..H w .V

Feb. 28, 1928.

H. MAMESSIER ELASTIC WHEEL Fi1ed Auz. 14, 1923' Feb. 28, 1928.

H. MAMESSIER ELASTIC WHEEL Filed Auz. 14.. 1923 H6. IZ

Ivvewroe Arr-always.

Patented Feb. 28, 1928.

HENRI MAMESSIEB, or oLoRon sArNirn-Manm)rnancn.

ELASTIC WHEEL;

App at on ma -at 121 S E e 6. .2. 65, mm rance. August 16, 1922 The present invention relates to a wheel comprising rods in radial disposition and .having' feet successively entering into contact withthe ground during the rotation of wheel in suchunanncr that the travel will be of an intermittent nature and will take. place by. means of successive contact with the ground. I I I f The, essential feature of the inventionconsists in the fact that the'blocks or feet, which are mounted by ball-and-socket joint-s at thev ends of the. respective rods, areso shaped that the. surface ofthe foot in contact with ground shall be convex or spherical, and" not, flat, andethe center of curvature may coincide. substantially with the center oi the f ballrand-socket joint.

Due tothe spherical oi lilie convexity of the surface in contact with the ground, the wheel may roll with the gmeatest facility upon the. groundi and the wheel can be steered about at all times, irrespectively of the nature of the ground.

Figs. 1 and 2 are respectively somewhat diagrammatic front and side views of the wheel provided withlegs.

Fig. 3' is a detail view on a larger scale showing the opera-tlon of the ball-and-socket arrangement. v v

Fig. 4 is a section showing the ball-and socket arrangement at the end of eachleg.

Fig. 5 is a detail View showing the braking means for each leg.

Fig. 6 is a section on the line XX of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a section onthe line Y-,Y of Fig. 6. n

Fig. 8 is a section of a hub comprising the liquid braking means for the rods.

Fig. 9 is a section of a modified form of the hub, and Fig. 10 is the corresponding front view.

Fig. 11 is an external view of the ring shown in Fig. 9.

Figs. 12 and 13 are respectively front and side views of a wheel embodying the hub shown in Fig. 9.

The said wheel consists of a plurality of rods 1 in radial position extending outwardly of the respective cylinders 9., the latter being connected together by a common frame 2 At the end of each rod is provided a ball portion Z) (Fig. 3) which cooperates with the socket 0 formed in the block or foot 6.

' The surface of the foot 6 in contact with play allowing plugs.

egi' und s on x. a shown in the at I is ofiiered; by. the ball-and-socket joint 6 c; i

in pa rticu-lar, it allows the-rod, after the bloclp'or foothas'enterediinto contact-with.

the ground, to pivot on the ball-andsocketlQ fi, an provides. for the shmening; of

thepiodis 1; without; any risk of. breakage of I the. latter as..Shown inFig--3, whe'n the rod '1 enteigs 1 ES;.Gyl iI 1deIT the, ball '6 will'not occupy; the position 6 but the position b}, thellengthifi b being-equals tolb. 6 sin oz.

(hen the wheelfmoves. forward and when i for instance three of the feet have entered ntocontact w th the ground (Fig. 1*), there is produced not only adisplacement of the .lzods relatively toathejfeet the) pivoting atthe ballsandrsocket joints, but alsoa slight rolling'of said feet upon the ground; in this latter case, the stresseswill be a minimum,

and are in fact less than in the known de vices with ball-and-socket mounting in which the blocks or, feet areflat and have a certain.

ball-and-socket joint.

Furthermore, due to the spherical form employed, the wheelcan be steered about at all'times with greatfacility. w In order to connect-the piston with the ofthe pumpbarrel. The same allows the piston rod to pass loosely; the shoulder inthem to slide relatively to the v pump barrel a nut5isscrewedto the end I nut 5 carries a collar 6 which is set in pos'ition and maintained whilst beinga'ble to roj tate about the nut 5, in Virtue of thering 7 being screwed upon the nut 5. Rings. .8. are provided, fitting in recesses in the collar 6 for connecting the pump cylinders 2 rigidly together, and retained in position by members 9. The inner ends of the pump cylinders fit in suitable recesses in the'hub and are closed Any suitable medium may be employed for obtaining the desired braking action in the cylinders 2, such as compressed air admitted to each cylinder through its valve 1;.

The invention may likewise be adapted by any suitable means such as for the use of a liquid brakingrmedium as I shown in Fig; 8, ,wlierein'a large channel 50 is provided Within the body of the hub 11 so as to allow the liquid of all pump barrels 2 to pass from the one into theotheiz- Holes.

51 are made in the plugs 10 which close the pump barrels andthe braking effect is ob-* tained by the passage of the liquid through these holes. In this case a single filling;

valve 2; may lie-employed.

Figs. 12 and 13 show a third form Of construction in which'two series of cylinders are coupled.

invention; v

Inthe modification snown'in F 1g. 9," the.

As shown. the wheel is provided with twelve rods and is constructed in such a mannerthat three rods will act in a useful wayunder severe shocks. But of course another number of cylindersand oi rods can be usedwithout departing from the hub 11 has. mounted in the channel 50 a hollow ring 50*,held in place by retaining ring 40, (see Figs 9 to 11-), 'which is rotatable and has the openings 8% cooperating with theopenings 32 in the hub 11 which communicate through the holes 51 in the plugs 10 with the cylinders 2. The rotation of the ring 50 is limited by a lug 3O 'Which works in a slot'GOtormed in the hub 11.

This embodiment is equally well adapted to-use with air, for example, i i-each cylinder,

or with liquid, all of the cylinders being in communication. All the openings 32 may be closed'and the air or other medium in the i rotating the. said ring, or the openings 32 and 32? may be made to coincide tor chargng purposes, and ii this position the openends of the cylindersused-for braking, by.

ing 33 of the ring coincides with a nozzle 34:

formed in the hub 11. By means'of this nozzle, the, air maybe compressed in.thecylin ders, or air may be removed if the internal pressure isexcessivo. The said ring is then Lagain rotated until the openings are closed; The nozzle 84 may be provided with extendingoutwardly of the hub, feet mounted by ball-and-socket joints upon the'ends of A wheel comprising a hub, separate rods lit) the respective rods, and whereof the outer' I surface entering into contact with the ground has a spherical iorm, and elastic means for braking the radial motion of each rod.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification.

- HENRI MAMESSIER, 

